Portland restricted free agent Nicolas Batum visited the Timberwolves on Sunday night and Monday, but left town without yet agreeing to a rich offer from the Wolves, who have made the 6-8 swingman and veteran guard Brandon Roy their top free-agent targets so far. Minneapolis Star-Tribune

I just got word Batum's two options at this point, are the Blazers and the Timberwolves. He's focused on coming to an agreement with one of them and has postponed all other team visits. CSNNW.com

The joys of RFA. Players use teams like a cheap whore and then return to the wife and family.

2 years and $20 million seems rather high for a player past his prime. I'd advise caution handing out big contracts in the new CBA. $10 million a year in the new CBA should be reserved for All Star or borderline All Star players.

2 years and $20 million seems rather high for a player past his prime. I'd advise caution handing out big contracts in the new CBA. $10 million a year in the new CBA should be reserved for All Star or borderline All Star players.

You would think that but clearly it is not the case.

David West is past his prime and had a very positive impact on Indiana last year. At 2 years if it doesn't work out, he is an expiring contract the following season in the new CBA where expiring contracts should return to a valuable chip like they were up until the last few years.

It's a short term deal. If the deal doesn't put them over the tax threshold and they feel what they need to do next summer won't put them over then no big deal here.

Utah still holds AK47's Bird Rights. He could be signed and traded. Toronto would keep exceptions and Bird Rights on Bayless/Weems and Gray's rights. Toronto could also take back Raja Bell (who I think would be a valuable addition for teaching and intensity in practice in addition to situational game usage) as a carrot for Utah. It is known Bell wants out of Utah and he has just 1 year and $3.4M on his contract. Forbes would definitely be gone somewhere in this.

Utah still holds AK47's Bird Rights. He could be signed and traded. Toronto would keep exceptions and Bird Rights on Bayless/Weems and Gray's rights. Toronto could also take back Raja Bell (who I think would be a valuable addition for teaching and intensity in practice in addition to situational game usage) as a carrot for Utah. It is known Bell wants out of Utah and he has just 1 year and $3.4M on his contract. Forbes would definitely be gone somewhere in this.

It also doesn't hurt that Bell is tight with Nash.

I've read 2 of Larry Coon's recent chats and he's mentioned that there's a new stipulation in the CBA which states that teams who have RFAs that didn't actually play for them the previous season (ie: AK47-Utah, Green-Boston, Weems-Toronto), lose the ability to S&T the player away. The team still maintains the player's Bird Rights, however.

This is post #14 from the 'Bayless/Weems' thread:

According to Larry Coon's chat today on ESPN, Toronto could deal Bayless in a S&T, but not Weems. Apparently there is a rule change in the new CBA that says a player must actually play for the team during the previous season, in order to be able to S&T them away. Weems is an RFA, but we can't S&T him. I hope BC isn't planning on keeping Weems next season.

JB: Larry, because Jeff Green was technically not on the Celtics’ roster last season, are they unable to sign-and-trade him?

Larry Coon: Correct. One of the new rules is that teams can only do a sign-and-trade with a player that was on their roster the previous season. By the way, the same thing goes for Phoenix with Aaron Brooks, and Utah for AK-47.

I've read 2 of Larry Coon's recent chats and he's mentioned that there's a new stipulation in the CBA which states that teams who have RFAs that didn't actually play for them the previous season (ie: AK47-Utah, Green-Boston, Weems-Toronto), lose the ability to S&T the player away. The team still maintains the player's Bird Rights, however.

I can't find any links, but I posted excerpts from the chat in the Bayless/Weems thread.

No, don't worry about links. You are correct.

It is tough remembering all the fine print of the CBA.

So scratch off S&T with Houston.

I still do like Bell in Toronto though. DD would certainly have to grow a pair to play him in practice everyday.

Utah still holds AK47's Bird Rights. He could be signed and traded. Toronto would keep exceptions and Bird Rights on Bayless/Weems and Gray's rights. Toronto could also take back Raja Bell (who I think would be a valuable addition for teaching and intensity in practice in addition to situational game usage) as a carrot for Utah. It is known Bell wants out of Utah and he has just 1 year and $3.4M on his contract. Forbes would definitely be gone somewhere in this.

It also doesn't hurt that Bell is tight with Nash.

I don't like the idea of Kirilenko as our SF answer.. however if that's our only option and a S&T is possible, I think sending Calderon back to Utah would make a lot of sense.. Utah has a TPE (from Okur) that should fit Jose's contract (actually Jose has a trade kicker, so I'm not sure), plus they traded away Harris to Atlanta so need a replacement.

I wouldn't mind Bell as a veteran presence on the bench. Actually Bell started a lot of games for Utah if I recall, so he's very serviceable still.

I don't like the idea of Kirilenko as our SF answer.. however if that's our only option and a S&T is possible, I think sending Calderon back to Utah would make a lot of sense.. Utah has a TPE (from Okur) that should fit Jose's contract (actually Jose has a trade kicker, so I'm not sure), plus they traded away Harris to Atlanta so need a replacement.

I wouldn't mind Bell as a veteran presence on the bench. Actually Bell started a lot of games for Utah if I recall, so he's very serviceable still.

Utah can't S&T AK47 (just like Toronto can't S&T Weems), per rule in new CBA. Also, I believe Utah used the Okur TPE to acquire Mo Williams in the 4-team Odom trade.

David West is past his prime and had a very positive impact on Indiana last year. At 2 years if it doesn't work out, he is an expiring contract the following season in the new CBA where expiring contracts should return to a valuable chip like they were up until the last few years.

Yikes! I don't like the presidence that would be setting. I must be seriously under valueing AK47, but to think an injury prone, past his prime player like him is worth that kind of $$...just not something which interests me. I actually felt that the David West deal was a good move for Indiana, but he has a totally different game and IMO more value than Kirelenko.

You would be putting him on par with AB and JC's contracts. That's 3 non all star calibre players at $10 million each. I guess it's just not my cup of tea.

Yikes! I don't like the presidence that would be setting. I must be seriously under valueing AK47, but to think an injury prone, past his prime player like him is worth that kind of $$...just not something which interests me. I actually felt that the David West deal was a good move for Indiana, but he has a totally different game and IMO more value than Kirelenko.

You would be putting him on par with AB and JC's contracts. That's 3 non all star calibre players at $10 million each. I guess it's just not my cup of tea.

West was coming off a torn ACL.

I agree with AK47's injury history and he is past his prime. Doesn't mean he is still not a great defender and contributor. I'd rather AK than Gerald Wallace.

I do not think that is the case mars. Restricted or unrestricted the FA must

The player must finish the preceding season with that team (deals are no longer allowed that sign-and-trade players who are out of the league, such as the sign-and-trade that sent Keith Van Horn from Dallas to New Jersey as part of the Jason Kidd trade in 2008).

but unlike Weems, Kirilenko is an unrestricted free agent. So he could sign with Utah and then be immediately traded to Toronto (similar to Nash and Phoenix).

Signing with Utah, and then getting traded by Utah, sounds an awful lot like a Sign-and-Trade ... haha
Nash was on the Suns roster last year, so he is able to part of a sign-and-trade. Kirilenko was NOT part of Utah's Roster last year, hence he can not be involved in any sort of S&T.
If AK signs with Utah, he can't be traded until December I believe.